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1News
35 minutes ago
- Climate
- 1News
Waitara homeowners describe 'crazy' tornado
Eleven homes were damaged after a tornado hit a neighbourhood in Waitara overnight. MetSerivce recorded strong wind gusts in the Taranaki areas, reaching about 130kph, along with intense downpours between 20-30mm per hour. More from this story can be found on TVNZ+ Sebastian and Jessica Murrihy were home with their three children, aged three, six and eight, when the tornado ripped through their house at midnight. Shirleen Patterson outside her damaged property. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT "It was a huge noise," Jessica said, adding that it sounded like intense thunder, except "more terrifying, it felt like the house was shaking". They got up to check on the trampoline, and Sebastian said he looked out the window to see their fence totally flattened. "I was pretty worried; I had never seen the neighbour's house so close before. Sebastian and Jessica Murrihy inspecting the damage of their house. (Source: 1News) "I came outside to talk to the neighbour, and he said, 'Oh, by the way, you have a hole in your roof.' "We ran round the other side [of the house] and saw a really big hole and realised it was over the kid's bedroom and thought we need to move them," Sebastian said. "They slept through it!" Jessica said. ADVERTISEMENT Their neighbour, Shirleen Patterson, had her five-year-old granddaughter in bed with her when she heard the "peeling and cracking" of tin, followed by a "bang" around midnight. The tornado had "ripped off the roof" and demolished her greenhouse. "I covered her, then got out of bed and took her to the other end of the house where it felt more secure. This house is 100 years old, so it's got good bones. "She was my first priority, to get her out of there." Patterson said she taught with Jessica at St Joseph's school in Waitara, and it is "shocking that [the tornado] comes through and gets both of us in the same night, go figure". Susan Duncan. (Source: 1News) Another homeowner, Susan Duncan, said that she initially thought the noise she heard at midnight was the wheely bins, "I'll just deal with it tomorrow". ADVERTISEMENT "But then my dog wouldn't stop barking, he just kept on going off. So I came out, and I saw all these trees down... I was sorta disoriented, thinking, 'What's going on?'" Her daughter's car, parked on the side of the road, had its windows smashed out, and Duncan said it appeared the vehicle had been picked up and skidded across the grass. Susan Duncan's daughter's car which was damaged by the tornado. (Source: 1News) "I was speaking to the lady over there, and she said that the side mirror is in her shed. Crazy, just crazy! "I'm glad we are all so safe, it could've been worse." Carey Clow described seeing debris from his and his neighbours' homes thrown a hundred metres around a paddock when he instigated the damage this morning. 'It wasn't until a few minutes later that our daughter-in-law called, who lives here, and said 'come round! The pergolas gone!' ADVERTISEMENT Carey Clows destroyed pergola. (Source: 1News) 'The bolts are still in the deck. My son-in-law will be very pleased to know he did a good job with the bolts.' FENZ reported no injuries and responded with two crews from Waitara and a support vehicle from New Plymouth.
1News
6 hours ago
- 1News
Person dies while reportedly clearing floodwaters in Tasman District
One person has died in the Tasman District while reportedly clearing flood damage, police say. Police were called to the incident at around 9.40am in Wai-iti, south-east of Wakefield, this morning, after a person was reportedly hit by a tree while clearing flood damage. It said despite best efforts by emergency services, the person died at the scene. "Police extend our condolences to their family at this difficult time," said acting Nelson Bays area commander, senior sergeant Martin Tunley. "Enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and the death will be referred to the Coroner."
1News
6 hours ago
- 1News
Mt Eden Corrections Facility death being treated as a homicide
Police are treating the death of a man at Mt Eden Corrections Facility as a homicide, it has confirmed. Police said it was made aware at around 4pm that a man had died at the prison. Detective inspector Greg Brand said officers "continue to follow positive lines of inquiry". Earlier today, Dion Paki, general manager at Mt Eden Corrections Facility said police had notified the man's next of kin. He said the prisoner was in a double-bunked cell, and his cellmate had been moved to a single cell. ADVERTISEMENT "We would like to express our sincere condolences to everyone impacted at this difficult time. "We acknowledge this will be distressing for staff and other prisoners in the unit, and we are providing people with support, including access to Chaplains and cultural support where requested." The man's death had been referred to the Coroner. An investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate would also be carried out. Mt Eden Corrections Facility is main reception prison for newly remanded male prisoners in the Auckland region. It had a total population of 1318 as of March 31, according to the Department of Corrections.
1News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 1News
Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony
The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who have travelled into space, and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Saturday. One of the world's most enchanting cities as backdrop? Check. Star-studded guest list and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavour? You bet. And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night (local time), and Sánchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man. ADVERTISEMENT It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land. Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall. Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colourful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialised as of Saturday. Instead, the glitterati were partying, and the paparazzi jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. And the bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look. "Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos. ADVERTISEMENT Logistics and costs Venice is famed for its network of canals, where gondoliers croon for lovestruck couples and even ambulances are aquatic. But water transport of everything from bouquets to guests makes Venice among the world's most challenging cities for a party, according to Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel advisory and destination event service. "It's a very tight-knit community; everyone there knows everyone, and you need to work with the right people," said Ezon, whose company has put on a dozen high-end events in Venice. "There's very tight control, especially on movement there with boats." It at least triples the cost versus staging the same soiree in Rome or Florence, he said. Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia was first to give an estimated tally for the Bezos/Sánchez bash: He told reporters this week the most recent total he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros (NZ$77 million and NZ$92 million) It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping figure that's over 1000 times the US$36,000 (NZ$69,000) average cost of American couples' weddings in 2025, according to wedding planning website Zola's annual report. Bezos' team has been tight-lipped about where these millions are going. When the youngest son of Asia's richest man married last July, performances by pop stars Rihanna and Justin Bieber pushed up the price tag. ADVERTISEMENT Jeff Bezos leaves a hotel ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 27, 2025 (Source: Associated Press) "How do you spend $40 million on a three- or four-day event?" Ezon said. "You could bring headliners, A-list performers, great DJs from anywhere in the world. You could spend $2 million on an incredible glass tent that's only there for 10 hours, but it takes a month to build," or expand the celebration to local landmarks. There's no sign Sánchez and Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, intend to take over any of Venice's tourist-thronged hotspots. Still, intense hand-wringing about the prospect prompted their wedding coordinator, Lanza & Baucina, to issue a rare statement calling those rumours false. Earlier, Sánchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony. Bezos followed two hours later. Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera. Vogue magazine, to which the couple granted exclusive access, reported that the Dolce & Gabbana-designed gown took 900 hours to complete. Inspired by Sophia Loren's wedding dress in the 1958 film Houseboat, it featured a high-necked, hand-appliqued lace and 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons. A police officer rides in front of the boat, center, carrying Lauren Sanchez as it travels past St. Mark's Square ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Luigi Costantini/AP) ADVERTISEMENT 'No Space' There are some who say these two shouldn't have been wed in this city. They characterise the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change. "Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there," Stella Faye, a researcher at a university in Venice, said. About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner "No Space for Bezos", a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight. Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash. Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought. ADVERTISEMENT "There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony," Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè, told the AP. "All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs, hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world." Jeff Bezos waves as he arrives at San Giorgio island ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Source: Associated Press) Philanthropy As Amazon's CEO, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today he has a net worth of US $234 billion (NZ$386 billion), according to Forbes. In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sánchez, a former TV news anchor. Sánchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos' divorce was finalised. He stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives. ADVERTISEMENT Sitting beside Sánchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests. Local media have reported a reception Saturday in the Arsenale, a former navy base best known as a primary venue for the Venice Biennale.
1News
9 hours ago
- 1News
Police investigating after man dies at Mt Eden Corrections Facility
Police are investigating after an inmate died at Mt Eden Corrections Facility yesterday. Police said it was made aware at around 4pm that a man had died at the prison. "Police are currently investigating the circumstances of the death and have positive lines of enquiry to follow." Corrections was also investigating, with all evidence to be provided to police. Dion Paki, general manager at Mt Eden Corrections Facility said police had notified the man's next of kin. ADVERTISEMENT He said the prisoner was in a double-bunked cell, and his cellmate had been moved to a single cell. "We would like to express our sincere condolences to everyone impacted at this difficult time. "We acknowledge this will be distressing for staff and other prisoners in the unit, and we are providing people with support, including access to Chaplains and cultural support where requested." The man's death has been referred to the Coroner, and an investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate would also be carried out. According to the Department of Corrections, as of March 31, the facility has a total population of 1318. It is the main reception prison for newly remanded male prisoners in the Auckland region.
